"Fear is a natural human response that triggers very specific behavioral patterns telling us how to cope in unexpected situations that may threaten our well-being or survival. If anyone feels up to it, who can give me an example of their greatest fear?"

The psychology professor pushed his thin glasses to the bridge of his nose, looking over his class in peaked interest. Donghae sat upright suddenly, feeling a numbing shiver go down his spine. 

A few students claimed they were afraid of heights, drowning, and there was the predictable clown answer, but Donghae didn't resonate with any of them. He was positive he had fears. Everyone does. But the fact that he was unable to find the right one bothered Donghae, and he bit his lip in hard concentration. 

"Donghae, you always have something to input during my lectures. What are you truly afraid of?" The professor folded his wrinkled hands together, waiting in patience. 

"Uh..."  Donghae blinked, swallowing a lacking amount of saliva in his throat as he tried to come up with an adequate answer. 

"I think I'm most afraid of people who want to harm me." 

The class was dead silent. 

The professor cleared his throat, and asked his student what he meant in more detail.

"I mean...the feeling of being restrained and completely helpless to another being of a higher power that might hurt me. I would assume that most people wouldn't find that enjoyable either." Donghae finished, overcome by how embarrassing that had sounded. He wished he'd just lied and gone with a casual, "I'm afraid of spiders, professor." 

Out of the corner of Donghae's eye, he caught Hyukjae smirking at him, and he saw him quietly mouth the words, "Sounds hot.". Donghae felt his face burn with shame, realizing his fear had directly manifested from his encounters with his roommate, and he wasn't sure why. Hyukjae exuded an otherworldly aura about him, seeming calculated and incredibly intelligent. His presence alone felt so addictive and alluring.

Why was Hyukjae so mysterious and intimidating? Why did he have to own a pair of intense eyes, to have such a firm build and the equally strong strength to go with it? 

Donghae's heart beat faster, becoming painfully aware of just what he thought about his roommate. 

I'm afraid of him. Donghae observed, knowing that Hyukjae had some type of control over him. A solid grip on him.

And Donghae wasn't entirely sure how he felt about it.

Donghae exhaled shakily, his mind suddenly becoming flooded with certain situations, all of which involved his pale roommate restraining him.

Oh, God.

Hyukjae flashed a lopsided smile at Donghae, his teeth as white as his skin. 

Donghae tried his best to ignore the gesture, hoping that his stupid "fear" would just go away. 

"So, are you afraid of me, Donghae?" 

The blonde looked up from his homework to find Hyukjae standing right in front of his desk, his features seeming to melt into a menacing creature in the dim light. 

Why Donghae could never properly speak in front of this man was beyond him, but he managed to put the puzzle pieces of his reply together in his mind. He pursed his lips and stared directly into Hyukjae's eyes in an act of sudden courage. He could've sworn he saw his eyes flicker an amber color.

"Maybe." 

"I wonder why that is." Hyukjae purred, his void-like hair vanishing into the shadows of the dorm room as he leaned away from Donghae's desk, thinking. 

Donghae set down his pencil, initiating an intense stare with his roommate. 

The younger man realized his features really were quite nice. His cheekbones were high and his nose was very prominent. Donghae couldn't deny that he did think he was handsome. He opened his mouth to speak again, remaining bold.

"I shouldn't be afraid of you." Donghae broke his dangerous gaze with Hyukjae, reading about a half a paragraph in his textbook before having his chin lifted by Hyukjae's pale fingers. He looked him in the eyes once more.

"You shouldn't. But you are. I see it all the time." 

Hyukjae subtly glided around the desk, dropping his gentle touch on Donghae's chin. He was soon standing behind the blonde's chair, lightly snaking a hand through Donghae's golden locks and then suddenly pulling down, so that his roommate was staring up at him, eyes wide and neck fully exposed. Donghae panted, his eyebrows curving upward in surprise, gazing at Hyukjae's upside-down visage.

Donghae's adam's apple bounced when he swallowed nervously, causing Hyukjae's mouth to sting as his incisors grew at the sight.

"I notice how you act around me, you know. The signs are all there. Your heart starts beating faster, your muscles tense up, and your breathing becomes irregular..." Hyukjae whispered, eyeing Donghae through his dark eyelashes, and to his terror, Donghae gave a racking shiver throughout his entire body, his parted lips trembling.

"S-stop..." Donghae mumbled, but he almost felt like saying the opposite.

"You know, Siwon's so incredibly lucky..." Hyukjae drawled out his syllables, letting go of his grip on Donghae's hair, and suddenly leaving the latter to sit with his own heated thoughts and red face. 

.

One night, Hyukjae was mentally kicking himself for not going to the gym like he planned to. His roommate was driving him to near insanity, and it seemed like the lack of circulating air in their dorm caused Hyukjae's senses to heighten to their zenith. Everything smelled like Donghae. It was intoxicating.

Donghae was currently in the living room, watching some soccer game on television while wearing one of Siwon's v-neck t-shirts. On any normal occasion, Hyukjae would flare up at the thought of Siwon's scent being anywhere near his victim's body, but with the way this particular shirt was fitting him, the vampire didn't mind.

The white cotton seemed to glide effortlessly upon Donghae's caramel colored skin, his collarbones protruding and his neck completely exposed due to the enlarged size of the shirt. Donghae casually laid his head down on the back of the couch, his neck seeming to grow longer and his veins popping out, causing Hyukjae to bite the inside of his cheek hard. Hyukjae gripped his jeans, recomposing his calm nature, but his animalistic instincts were not as interested in behaving. 

Hyukjae could feel his fangs tormenting him, trying to take a hold over his mind and tempting him to feed on Donghae's hot, red liquids. Oh, Jesus. 

He would taste so good.

Donghae innocently swallowed then, his adam's apple bobbing up and down as he let out a small noise of approval as his favorite team scored a goal. Hyukjae couldn't contain himself; he wanted to spill Donghae's blood all across that white t-shirt, making a scarlet mess and finally getting a taste of Donghae's life essence. 

Instead, he sat helplessly to the side, twirling a pencil in his fingers as he tried very desperately to look away. 

"Hey, Hyukjae?" 

"Hm?" He gruffly replied, pretending he was engrossed into his math homework and not the thick blood coursing through the veins of his roommate's neck. 

"Didn't you say you were going to the gym?" 

"Yeah, but let's admit, I'm set for a good, long while..." Hyukjae proudly flexed a bicep while attempting to avoid Donghae's extremely distracting collarbones. 

"I suppose you're right..." Donghae chuckled, taking a long swig from a water bottle, which made Hyukjae nearly lose it. 

"Nice shirt, is it new?" Hyukjae tried to make friendly conversation, but he knew perfectly where the shirt came from. He hid the scowl that formed on his lips so that Donghae wouldn't notice. 

"No, it's Siwon's. He's so kind, he lets me borrow his clothes all the time. But I'm pretty sure it's just because he likes to see me wearing his stuff." Donghae smiled, eyes darting from side to side as he paid attention to the game on the screen. And Hyukjae was thankful for it, because then Donghae couldn't see the eye roll that took over the vampire's expression. 

"I'm sure he does. You should keep that one. I like it." Hyukjae's voice dropped octaves, his jealousy apparent, but Donghae didn't think anything of it. 

Silence fell, and Hyukjae got out of his chair, stalking over to Donghae briskly, a dark glint in his eyes. He wanted him. 

Donghae wasn't paying attention, he was obliviously checking his phone and his mouth parted open slightly.

"Oh-oh my God..." Donghae stood, walking straight past an oncoming Hyukjae to the door, his face buried in his phone.

"What?" Hyukjae stated, clearly deprived of his desires and annoyed about it. 

"Siwon just texted me, he wants to talk. Apparently it's urgent." Donghae flicked his wavy golden hair out of his eyes, pulling his shoes on in record time. 

Donghae fled, shutting the door as Hyukjae kicked the leg of the couch in frustration. 

Soon, Hyukjae. Just be patient. 

Siwon held Donghae's hand as they came around the hall corner, sneaking out onto the football practice field. Donghae hadn't been to a game in a while, and stepping on the freshly cut grass in the moonlight caused many memories to invade his mind. 

The one time during their freshman year where they rebelled and felt like little kids as they jumped around in the sprinklers that went off when people were sleeping. The time where Siwon had won the last game of the season and he picked Donghae up in his arms and spun him around like no one was watching. They had actually met for the first time on that field, Donghae was sitting under the bleachers, shy as humanly possible, his face buried in a book. Siwon was practicing, but once he caught a glimpse of Donghae in the provided shade of the bleachers, he tripped over his own two feet and scratched his face up pretty bad on the field. Donghae offered to take him to get patched up, and they exchanged phone numbers in the nurse's office.

Donghae smiled, thinking about these memories that made his heart flutter, but the expression that Siwon was wearing made the butterflies in Donghae's stomach drop dead. 

"Baby...don't be scared, I just want you to hear me out..." Siwon clasped both of his hands around Donghae's waist, exhaling deeply and holding him close.

"Then what is it?" Donghae felt like he didn't want to know the answer.

"There are some pretty important games coming up, and I don't want to be distracted in any way." Siwon put it bluntly, placing one of his hands on the side of Donghae's neck, his thumb caressing his cheek. The smaller man tilted his head to the side, confused.

"Distracted? Why...who says you're distracted?" Donghae questioned. 

"My coach. He suspects that I'm spending an excessive amount of time with you, and thinking about you too much to actually focus on football. He says it's affecting my performance." Siwon lowered his head. 

"We don't even see each other that much. I don't understand." Donghae furrowed his eyebrows, hurt by Siwon's words and even more so, why he seemed to believe his coach's accusations. 

Siwon sighed, mild tears forming in his eyes.

"Listen...I think we need to take a break." 

Donghae stood still, shocked.

"W-what?"

"Just until the games are over, and finals are finished. That way, you can focus on studying without being distracted by me, too." During Siwon's attempts of consolation, Donghae wriggled his way out of Siwon's grasp, not allowing him to touch him.

"What exactly does "taking a break" mean? Are we going to stop talking to each other? Are you going to see other people?" Donghae was close to tears himself, his eyes watery and causing his vision to blur. Siwon repeated the word "no" about thirty times before pulling Donghae closer into a tight hug.

"We can still talk...don't worry about that. My coach just wants us to limit seeing each other to at least once or twice a week in person, and we can talk all we want through text..." Siwon tried, sugar coating the situation so it made it easier for Donghae to swallow. He hated that this was happening. 

"Don't touch me. I don't want to talk right now." Donghae cried, pushing Siwon's arms off of him, and rushing off of the football field. 

Siwon yelled after him, asking him to come back, but Donghae stomped right back to his dormitory without another word. 

Hot tears poured down Donghae's cheeks, his lips quivering in an ill attempt to muffle his audible cries. He threw open the door to the dorm, covering his mouth with the back of his hand, and sniffling loudly. 

Hyukjae twisted his tongue around in his mouth, forcing his sharp fangs to decrease in growth by biting the insides of his cheeks. He glanced up, finding Donghae laying in his bed, shuddering and sobbing. Hyukjae blinked. 

What just happened?

His bloodlust simmered down, and compassion flooded into his heart, ordering his selfish desires to subside. Just for a second. 

"Donghae?" Hyukjae's soft voice was just above a whisper, he was too afraid that his tone alone would crush Donghae's current vulnerability. 

The blonde sniffled twice, sitting at the edge of the bed and attempting to get rid of all evidence of his emotional state. But it was futile, his cheeks were tearstained and reddened.

"W-what?" Donghae's voice cracked.

"You...you alright?" Hyukjae paused, lifting himself off his bed and heading toward the shorter man. 

He settled himself directly in front of Donghae, kneeling down and setting a large hand on Donghae's knee. Donghae shifted his stare away from Hyukjae's, feeling embarrassed and exposed. 

"Don't touch me...please. I'm really confused." Donghae spoke honestly, and Hyukjae removed his hand in understanding. 

"I'm sorry. What happened?" 

Donghae blinked more tears out of his eyes, biting his lip and breathing deeply. 

"I really don't want to talk about it, okay?" 

Hyukjae thought for a moment, and then placed his hand back onto his roommate's knee. Donghae looked at him incredulously and slightly offended at his lack of obedience. 

"What did I just tell you?"

"Listen...we're gonna go for a walk. If you want to vent, go right ahead. If you want to continue to stay in silence, that's fine too. You just need some fresh air. Come on." Hyukjae pulled a surprised Donghae off the bed, handing him one of his own warm coats and informing him that he should bundle up. Donghae took the gesture kindly, yet hesitated on taking his jacket at first. 

Hyukjae guided his emotionally unstable roommate by his waist to the door, opening it once again, and shutting it noiselessly. 

"If you wanna do this, you have to remember to be quiet. Technically, where we're going, it's off-limits to students this late."

"Wait, where are we going?" The blonde questioned. 

"Just trust me." The vampire tried on a charming smile, tugging impatiently at Donghae's wrist. Donghae himself couldn't stop the corners of his lips from turning upward into a reciprocal smile back as Hyukjae led him into the shadows of a mysterious night. 

"Follow me and we won't get caught." 

The simple action of uncertainty and the tempting unknown teased Donghae, it made him feel like a young kid.

Hyukjae ended up guiding him to the university's greenhouse, which was usually locked up at night, but it was no match for Hyukjae and his surprising lockpicking skills. The greenhouse was filled with slowly wilting flowers and greenery, the harsh winter surely taking a toll on the growth of the plants. 

"It's prettier in the spring. Sorry." Once they were inside, Hyukjae sheepishly commented on the disappointing state of the floral view, and Donghae giggled to himself. 

"I like it better like this."

They both crept underneath a grove of dying, pink azaleas, the dried petals crunching underneath their sneakers as Hyukjae playfully reminded Donghae to be quiet. The danger of being caught, and the possibility of consequences excited him and soon, Donghae forgot about why he was even sad in the first place. 

It all came crashing back over him once Hyukjae asked if he wanted to talk about what had happened. 

"He um...wanted to talk about us, our relationship." Donghae started his story, fidgeting with the buttons on Hyukjae's coat. 

"If you don't mind my asking, what specifically?" Hyukjae pushed further. Donghae swallowed. 

"Siwon told me that we have to take a break. I didn't want to believe him. He said his football coach forced him to spend less time with me, or he'd kick him off the team." Donghae truthfully stated, warming his hands by rubbing them together. 

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that." Hyukjae glanced away to appreciate some bare, leafless trees and he couldn't help but feel slightly uplifted by the thought of Donghae and Siwon spending less time together. It was terrible of him, but Hyukjae didn't have enough of a conscious to talk himself out of having those thoughts. 

Donghae breathed out, his mouth billowing out white smoke in the frigid atmosphere. 

"It's alright. I mean, this has never happened before, so..." 

"How did that make you feel?" 

Donghae pursed his lips. 

"Hurt. Incredibly, extremely hurt. I guess I'm just sensitive..." Donghae trailed off, putting his shaking hands into his pockets and shyly hiding his mouth in the collar of the jacket. 

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with that. You have a right to feel betrayed." Hyukjae turned to Donghae, raising his eyebrows in concern. 

"Really? I feel like I'm overreacting, but I'm just so confused about everything right now, and I don't know what's concrete. I feel like he'll leave me for someone else." Donghae closed his eyes and lowered his head in embarrassment.

"Hey, that's not true." Hyukjae reeled Donghae in for a tight hug, his body pressing against the smaller man's. 

Donghae gasped, and then sighed into the touch, allowing Hyukjae to wrap his arms around him. 

"He'd be an idiot to leave you. I know that for certain." Hyukjae finished, taking the time to rub his hand across Donghae's back slowly and considerately. 

Donghae buried his face into Hyukjae's shoulder, the slight warmth between the two of them igniting thoughts of adoration in Donghae's mind. 

"Thank you." 

"Anytime." Hyukjae pulled away, letting his hands linger on Donghae's waist as he stared at him.

Donghae observed Hyukjae's face for a rather lengthy time, noticing how pure his skin was in the cold, not tainted with frost bitten redness or light pink dusted cheeks. He thought the discoloration was peculiar, but suddenly Hyukjae was dragging him back to their dorm, causing Donghae to float back to reality.